Evidence for the synthesis of peptidoglycan by spheroplasts of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC-14468.

Evidence for the synthesis of insoluble peptidoglycan by spheroplasts of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC-14468 was obtained by inhibition of synthesis by vancomycin and cycloserine and no inhibition of synthesis by tetracycline. Radioactivity in the peptidoglycan fraction decreased when treated with lysozyme. The ability of spheroplasts to synthesize macromolecular peptidoglycan was half that of whole cells. A relationship was obtained between the amount of intact cell wall present and peptidoglycan synthesized: as the amount of intact cell wall decreased, the ability to synthesize macromolecular peptidoglycan also decreased.